Can the ground (earth) transmit electricity?

Question

And how does grounding an electronic component work?

Answer 1

Yes it does, but you have to remember that this is usually the return flow.
Electricity has be in a closed loop. From the power station through the transmission lines to the end user, returning through the ground, essentially in a wire; the return flow through the ground. This is a simplification as high voltage lines are alternating current and usually 3 phase, so each phase is like the ground of another.

I write this because I assume that you are wondering why can't we use the ground to transmit electricity instead of wires. And the answer to this is that we do, for the return flow that we MUST have. You will always need a wire, isolated from the ground, to transmit power.

Grounding an electrical appliance is having a wire that connects it to, well, the ground. This basically achieves the zero volt reference, and if an appliance is faulty, the short that would go to the ouside casing of the appliance and then in the hand of the user will instead go in the wire to the ground. It is a safety feature.

Answer 2

Are you familiar with the Auroras Borialos The Northern Lights
In the Southern Hemisphere they are called Auroras Australis
The Southern Lights.
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/aurora.html
Caused by high energy particles from the solar winds which are caught in the earths magnetic field
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnet

Also with lightning strikes The earth emitts a feeder which a lightning strike connects to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning

Can the ground transmit electricity Yes.

Grounding simply it discharged static electricity to the ground shielding the component which is being ground
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_grounding

Answer 3

Yes the ground transmits electricity. The old telegraph system used just one wire strung overhead and a ground return. Wire was expensive and difficult to make - as well as uninsulated.

So in this case the ground was used for miles on the return path.

Answer 4

yes, but not very well like say if you get electrocuted, the current will go into the ground, but you wouldnt use the ground instead of a cable or something to transmit electricity. grounding stuff makes a route for electricity to escape, like when you work on a computer you ground yourself by putting a strap with a piece of metal on your arm and connecting the other to the computer case or something like that, the static electricity on your body will be transmitted by the strap to that case instead of the parts that you touch.

Answer 5

Absolutely. In fact in Canada, unlike the US, they don't use a separate ground wire on utility poles. They use the Earth itself as the 'ground' circuit.

I noticed this while traveling in Canada many years ago.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by your second question, but metal boxes are 'grounded' so that any short inside will cause a circuit breaker to trip, so you will not be electrocuted by it.

Answer 6

Yes it can; grounding directs the current to the ground.

Answer 7

no its not possible i.e. a ground. such as grounding your telephone lines in your house. electricity can only flow through metals and water. the purpose of grounding is kinda simple for instance u have a telephone line in ur home you dont have it grounded lightning strikes it so with out it having a route produced by the ground to disperse it will destroy what ever it comes to in your home.

Answer 8

electricity needs a path of less resistance somewhere. earth ground usually has a lower resistance than your electronics, so any stray voltage and static will flow there.

Answer 9

the earth does transmit electricity, but rather poorly; this is why it's used to "ground" dangerous amounts - it doesn't get far, thus, it doesn't endager folx.

Answer 10

YES THE EARTH CAN CONDUCT BUT IM FAIRLY SURE IS UNABLE TO TRANSMIT ELECTRICTY, HOWEVER LAND WITH HIGH MOISTURE WOULD TRANSMIT BUT THERE WOULD BE A DEBATE ON HOW STRONG THIS TRASMITION WOULD BE.